MSc in Big Data Analytics: Applied Modelling and Quantitative Methods

Overview

Delve into the rapidly growing field of data science.

Trent is one of the first universities in Canada to work to fill the training gap for professionals in data science. You will be uniquely prepared with the tools and techniques you require to work with and analyze today’s increasingly complex data sets in all areas of the sciences, as well as the business world. This professional program can be completed in 16 months and emphasizes practical skills in visualization, data mining, cloud-based approaches and parallel programming skills. Prepare for careers including Chief Data Officer, Data Scientist, Data Solutions Architect, Business Manager and Business Analyst.

Program

There are three primary objectives of the program:

• The teaching of fundamental and common analytical modeling techniques required for research in a large number of quantitative fields.
• The cross-fertilization that comes from sharing ideas with researchers in other disciplines, and the development of the communication skills required for this to occur.
• Sufficient training of the student in his/ her chosen discipline, including coursework and a research thesis, to permit progression to a disciplinary Ph.D. program at another institution.

For the thesis-based stream, students are involved both in thesis research and coursework in their "home" discipline and in interdisciplinary study. They carry out coursework in the foundations and methods of quantitative modeling and participate in an interdisciplinary seminar. In this seminar, the student discusses, in a way comprehensible to the audience, the system being modeled, the model developed, and the means of validation of the model; here the emphasis is upon the modeling process itself rather than on the relevance of the results to the discipline of the research. Through this seminar, the students develop the skills required to communicate with researchers outside their own discipline and develop a perspective on their own and other disciplines not obtainable from within a single-discipline context.

The Experience

Cross-Disciplinary Boundaries as you Explore and Apply Modelling Techniques to your Research

Thesis-based: Earn an M.A. or an M.Sc. in the theory of modeling and the application of techniques in the natural sciences or social sciences. Interdisciplinary collaboration is at the core of this program as students with backgrounds in economics and computer science come together with those from math and psychology, and beyond. As you complete your coursework and conduct your research, you will be sharing ideas with classmates from an array of disciplines. Immersed in this multidisciplinary environment, you will develop new perspectives that will position you well for the future.

• Collaborate on individualized, interdisciplinary research with faculty members in a wide range of disciplines.
• Choose from Biology, Business Administration, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics, Geography, Humanities, Mathematics, Philosophy, Physics & Astronomy and Psychology.
• Build a solid foundation of modeling skills that will allow you to move on to a Ph.D. program in your discipline.

Two course-based options:

• Big Data Analytics
• Financial Analytics

About Trent University

One of Canada's top universities, Trent University was founded on the ideal of interactive learning that's personal, purposeful and transformative.

Consistently recognized nationally for leadership in teaching, research and student satisfaction, Trent attracts excellent students from across the country and around the world.

Here, undergraduate and graduate students connect and collaborate with faculty, staff and their peers through diverse communities that span residential colleges, classrooms, disciplines, hands-on research, co-curricular and community-based activities.

Across all disciplines, Trent brings critical, integrative thinking to life every day. Trent's unique approach to personal development through supportive, collaborative community engagement is in more demand than ever. Students lead the way by co-creating experiences rooted in dialogue, diverse perspectives and collaboration.

In a learning environment that builds a life-long passion for inclusion, leadership and social change, Trent's students, alumni, faculty and staff are engaged global citizens who are catalysts in developing sustainable solutions to complex issues.

Trent's Peterborough campus boasts award-winning architecture in a breathtaking natural setting on the banks of the Otonabee River, just 90 minutes from downtown Toronto, while the Durham GTA campus offers a close-knit community with an urban vibe, conveniently located in Oshawa, 40 minutes from downtown Toronto.

We respectfully acknowledge that we are on the traditional territory of the Mississauga Anishinaabeg. We offer our gratitude to First Peoples for their care for, and teachings about, our earth and our relations. May we honor those teachings.

Trent has been Ontario's #1 undergraduate university 7 years in a row

• #1 undergraduate university in Ontario; #3 in Canada 1

• #1 in Canada for Scholarships and Bursaries 1

• #1 in Ontario for Extracurricular Activities 1

• #1 in Student Awards in Ontario 1

• #2 in Ontario for Student Satisfaction 1

• Among Top 3.4% Universities in the World 2

Trent graduates get jobs

• 95% of Trent grads employed after two years 1

• 87% of Trent grads employed six months after graduation

• Trent graduates of Nursing, Physical Sciences, and Fine & Applied Art all reported a 100% graduate employment rate two years after graduation;

• Agriculture and BioScience students from Trent see a 96% graduate employment rate two years after graduation;

• Graduates from the Education program at Trent see an impressive 97% graduate employment rate two years after graduation;

• Humanities graduates at Trent recorded an employment rate of 93% just six months after graduation, higher than the province average.

Trent students are glad they came

• 95% of students are happy they chose Trent

• 94% of students are satisfied with the overall quality of their Trent education 3

Trent is a leader in research and innovation

• #4 undergraduate research university in Canada 4

• #1 in publication intensity in Canada 4

• #3 in publication impact in Canada 4

It's an exciting time to be a Trent student

• We are currently transforming our iconic Bata Library in the library of the future
  • features of the new library (opening in summer 2018) will include: an entrepreneurship and social innovation centre; carefully selected book and non-print collections; three research centres; two visualization labs, Critical Making Studio; educational design research studio; presentation practice room; and a wide variety of interactive student spaces (group and individual)

• Future Olympians groomed here - Trent was recently selected as a Rowing Canada NextGen Hub in partnership with the Peterborough Rowing Club

• T rent Durham Greater Toronto Area is expanding
  • coming soon to the Durham campus are two new buildings complete with a number of features that will ensure the Trent Durham experience is truly personal, purposeful and transformative, including residence rooms, academic spaces such as classrooms and faculty offices; central outdoor space

• The vision of Trent students past and present became a reality this fall with the opening of the new Student Centre on our Peterborough campus - the breathtaking new space overlooking the Otonabee River offers new places and opportunities for students to socialize, learn, study and engage with life on campus

1. Maclean’s University Rankings, 2018 - Primarily Undergraduate Category

2. Center for World University Rankings, 2017

3. Canadian University Survey Consortium, 2012

4. Re$earch Infosource Rankings, 2017